A leaflet urging parents not to put advice about sex to their children in a moral framework is about to be released through pharmacies in the UK with the support of the government’s minister for children, Beverley Hughes. It comes in the wake of the case of Alfie Patten, a 13-year-old boy who fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl.

The leaflet advises: “Discussing your values with your teenagers will help them to form their own. Remember, though, that trying to convince them of what’s right and wrong may discourage them from being open.” Rather, any discussion of values should be kept “light” to encourage teenagers to form their own views.

The leaflet provides technical information on different forms of contraception, from condoms to implants, and has drawn fire from family advocates, who have criticised the amoral approach as a dead end.

Britain has been struggling for years with the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe. The rate fell somewhat between 1998 and 2006 but since then has risen again. The British Family Planning Association last year put out a pamphlet for six-year-olds for use in schools. The 12-page comic-style booklet, asks children to identify the physical differences between boys and girls and name their body parts properly. ~ Times Online, Feb 22